Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

(SII) varies from 24 days at 2°C to 9 days at 8°C (Kurata 1960).
Severe
climatological changes could account for large fluctuations in survival
of a year-class and later recruitment to the fishery. Niebauer (1981)
shows the limit of ice in the southeastern Bering Sea (as a relative
measure of water temperature) was several hundred kilometers farther
south in 1976 than 1979 and actually extended to the Alaskan Peninsula
near Black Hills.
Both 1975 and 1976 were severely cold years and poor
survival of larvae and juveniles then could account for low abundance of
sublegal males 5-6 years later in 1981-1982.
Growth rates of 0+ and older juveniles have been studied and
animals reach mean carapace lengths of about 11 mm, 35 mm, 60 mm, and 80
mm at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively (Powell and Nickerson 1965;
Weber 1967).
Growth models for the species have been developed by Weber
(1967), McCaughran and Powell (1977) and Reeves and Marasco (1980).
Young-of-the-year molt from 8 (Powell 1967) to 11
(Weber 1967) times in
the first year; such high frequency molting could make them particularly
susceptible to nearshore oil perturbations since ecdysis is the time of
greatest sensitivity to toxicant stress (Armstrong et al. 1976; Karinen
1981).
Juvenile crabs in 2+ to 3+ age classes (entering their third through
fourth year) form large aggregates called "pods" in the Gulf of Alaska
(Powell and Nickerson 1965).
Podding behavior is probably based on
chemosensory cues (subject to oil effects) and is thought to serve as
protection from predators.
It is not known if the same behavior occurs
among nearshore juveniles of the North Aleutian Shelf.
If so, such
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